Saturday, November 2, 2013

Best Postgame Home Quotes of October

I always like going back and examining solid quotes from both Magic and opposing players and coaches and just keeping track over the course of a season what type of changes or transformations occur that are captured by words. I'll share some of the better ones. This may be a monthly trend.

Nikola Vucevic: "I like moving around the floor. I need to play whatever Coach puts in and just run it. You've got to be active, you have to move around. As a big, you've got to set screens, then you have to roll, you just can't be standing on the court."

Kyle O'Quinn: "Nik's a more skilled big. Lefty, righty, lefty hook, right hook, that's what he does. I just do the dirty work, things he shouldn't have to do when he's that for the team."

E'Twaun Moore: "I spent most of the summer just trying to get my ball handling and point guard skills down. I'm used to playing off the ball a lot but now I'm with the ball. A lot of ball handling drills, passing, Steve Nash-type stuff."

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving on Oladipo: "He is going to be great. He is going to be great in this league. The size that he has at the PG position...and then he can move over to the 2. He can guard the 1 and 2. His potential is out the roof. When I was coming up with him because we are about the same age, he was known as just a defensive player. Now to see his offensive game develop it is just great to see. He has come into a league were the PG position is definitely front-loaded and there are going to be nights where guys come at him, but he is prepared for that."

Jacque on Victor's energy and maybe toning it down: "Tone him down, from diving on the floor and doing your job every night? I don't think I'm going to do that, I think I'm going to encourage that to play defense with the energy and effort every night to dive on the floor and get a possession for your team. Those things are important every single night. So I don't see me changing or diluting that instruction at all."

Coach Vaughn on Oladipo's knack for getting to the FT line: "Well that makes us better. Those are free points when you can get there and it puts pressure on the defense. Getting to the bonus enables you to get to the line and other people can benefit from his aggressiveness and getting to the line. It's tough to keep him in front of you, and so if he can put pressure on the defense the more the better for us as a team."

Victor on playing his first road trip: "It's lovely. No classes, no walking to class, no tutoring, no homework. We just play basketball. We've all been playing since we were little, we all have a love for the game. You can't forget that no matter what happens, it's a blessing. You've just got to keep working hard."

Vucevic on facing Dwight, Dirk, and Marc Gasol: "I like going against guys that are better than me. It gives me a chance to see where I'm at. I feel like I've done a pretty good job against those guys; going pretty hard and seeing where I'm at, especially comparing with last year to see if I improved and I feel like I did a better job against them than last year."

Jacque on adjustments against Detroit: "That's the part of the maturation right there, and it's seeing how the game is flowing. There's a little different pace to every game, whether fouls are called early or not, and so being able to adjust to the referees to the style of play, the physicality of play. That showed a lot by our group for sure."

Tobias Harris: "The way you practice is the way you play. So if we go out there and get physical in practice and push each other, I think it correlates to the game. I think it showed tonight. So that's a good sign for us."

Kyle O'Quinn on Oladipo: "He's one of a kind. He just comes in and does anything he has to do to fit in. Whatever Coach says to do, he does. Whatever the vets and even the second year players, you give him a tip and he runs with it. On top of his talent, it just makes it that much better out on the floor."

Oladipo on what he's learned up to now: "To stop going so fast. Sometimes I don't realize how fast I'm going. I missed a lay-up today and I was like, 'OK', but everybody was like running out and I was going so fast I didn't realize I missed it. So sometimes I have to slow down. Other than that, I think I'm doing pretty good. There are mistakes here and there but they're correctable mistakes so I'll keep growing as a player."

Coach Vaughn on Oladipo's preseason growth: "Well, he barely has his feet wet. There's a lot that he's going to see this season and overall what I really love about him is his demeanor. I think guys really like playing with him. His effort level doesn't change and it's a positive things so whether he's making shots or not, getting to the free throw line or not, I think you'll see an effort level every night from him that will be contagious."